Welded light-metal corner construction



Feb. 25, 1969 N. DIRILGEN v WELDED LIGHT-METAL CORNER CONSTRUCTION Filed April 25, 1968 INVENTOR NECDET D\R\LGEN,

,ZuMfims ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,429,602 WELDED LIGHT-METAL CORNER CONSTRUCTION Necdet Dirilgen, Uitikon Waldegg, Switzerland, assignor to Swiss Aluminium Ltd., Chippis, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Filed Apr. 23, 1968, Ser. No. 723,537 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Apr. 26, 1967, 5,963/67 US. Cl. 287-18936 5 Claims Int. Cl. F16b 1/00, 5/00, 7/00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A welded light-metal corner construction has two I-sections with mitered ends, and a connecting piece consisting of a web plate having legs that fit into corresponding grooves of the I-sections. The legs are welded to the groove edges and the plate is welded to the ends of the sections.

The invention relates to a welded light-metal corner construction, particularly for use in constructing framelike structures, and comprises two I-sections and a connecting section assembled with the I-sections to form a unit, and the entire unit is welded together.

In the past, metallic corner constructions were primarily made of iron and steel; recently, the use of lightmetal has come into favor.

In this type of structures very important structural parts are the corners, where the ends of the T- or double-T or I-sections forming the structure are joined at an angle (usually of 90 as at these corners the bending moments and the tangential stresses must be transmitted from one section of the structure to the other. Up to now the constructions known from the steel structure were applied also to the light-metal structures; these steel constructions comprise usually the said T- or double-T-sections and angle sheet irons which are welded, riveted or screwed to the mitered ends of the flanges of the sections. These angle sheet irons are disposed on the outer side or on the inner side of the flanges, remain visible, project out of the general plane of the frame, have therefore an unsightly effect and are obstructive, if sheetings or other parts have to be attached to the frame. The stresses are generally transmitted through the welding seams disposed across the posts and the girders, respectively through the rows of screws or rivets disposed similarly. According to the strain these corners are often provided additionally with reinforcing ribs or gusset plates serving also for the transmission of tangential stresses.

But these constructions conditioned by the forming properties of steel are relatively intricate, require much work and hinder therefore a rational manufacture and a quick assembling. Moreover, the direction of the welding seams across the sections is disadvantageous with regard to the strains which occur in the frame-like construction.

It is accordingly among the principal objects of the invention to avoid the aforementioned disadvantages, to take advantage of the better forming properties of aluminum and its alloys, which permit the manufacture of extruded parts and to provide for easily accessible welding seams that furthermore do not impair the mechanical strength of the corner construction and to provide an esthetically pleasing appearance by sheathing bars of the connecting pieces in corresponding grooves of the I-sections.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following specification and 3,429,602 Patented Feb. 25, 1969 in part will be obvious therefrom without being specifically referred to, the same being realized and attained as pointed out in the claims hereof.

The light-metal corner construction according to the invention, generally speaking, comprises two light-metal double-T- or I-sections, the flanges of which having each at least one longitudinal groove, and a connecting piece comprising a rectangular web plate corresponding in width and length to the mitered ends of the sections and having near the front edges of the web plate and at both sides of the latter connecting legs corresponding to the number, the cross-section and the position of the grooves, forming with the web plate the same angle as the sections and introduced into the grooves and welded to the edges of the latter, the web plate itself being welded to the mitered ends of the sections.

The light-metal frame-like structures having corners constructed according to the invention are mostly adapted for forming walls, but they may also be used for floors and ceilings. In the last case the frame-like structures comprise no posts, but only girders (horizontal beams). The corner construction according to the invention is substantially the same in both cases.

The drawing illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an extended view in perspective, partly in section, showing the parts of a light-angled corner construction in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, before assembling; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partly in section, showing the finished corner construction.

A mitered end part of a post 1 contiguous to the corner is shown in FIG. 1 ready to be united, by means of a corner connecting piece 8, with a similar mitered end part of a girder 2. For the simplicity of manufacture, the profiled bars forming the post 1 and the girder 2 have the same double-T- or I-cross-section. 3 is the web of the profiled bars of the part 1. In the described embodiment the flanges 4 of the double-T-sections 1 and 2 comprise each a T-section 5 and a channel section 6, the longitudinal edges of the latter constituting with the T-section 5 two undercut grooves 7 in the flange 4. Two of the flanges 4 are shown encircled in the drawing. The corner connecting piece 8 is provided, which comprises a rectangular web plate 9 and eight legs 10 that project at an angle of 45 from the front ends of the web plate 9 towards the post 1 and the girder 2. When assembling the members 1, 2, 8 that constitute the corner construction, these legs 10 of the corner connecting piece 8 are introduced into the grooves 7 of the post 1 and the girder 2.

The size and the shape of the web plate 9 are determined by the rectangle or square encompassed by the mitered ends of the post 1 and the girder 2. From the constructive point of view the rectangular web plate 9 constitutes the stiffening rib of the corner construction.

Preferably, the side walls of the channel section 6 of the composite flanges 4 form each at 11 an inwardly turned right angle border; in this way the grooves 7 are undercut on both sides; this prevents the connecting legs 10 of the corner connecting piece 8 from being forced out of the grooves 7 through any inward bending strain of the post and the girder sections. The right angle borders at 11, however, are not absolutely necessary.

It is even possible to have flanges with longitudinal groove-s which are not undercut, but this would necessitate more welding.

Esthetically, it may be desirable to bevel at both sides the outer front end 12 of the web plate 9 so that both faces of the beveled part are in alignment with the outer flanges 4 of the post respectively of the girder; the inner front end 13 of the web plate may have a groove for a similar purpose.

It is preferable that the cross-section of all the legs corresponds to the cross-section of the grooves 7 in such a manner that there is substantially no clearance between the lateral faces of the legs 10 and the walls of the grooves 7; in this Way one obtains a snug fit of the legs in the grooves.

After insertion into the grooves 7, the legs 10 are welded to the edges of the grooves 7, preferably throughout their lengths; the welding seams 14 are disposed in the sense of length of the posts and girders and provide for a better transmission of the stresses and accordingly a better mechanical strength of the whole corner construction than joints with transversal Welding seams.

Thereafter, the web plate 9 is Welded to the ends of the posts and the girders. The welds are set preferably only between the web plate 9 and the webs 3, forming four welding seams 15; in this Way the welding is simplified, but one obtains nevertheless a quite sufliciently strong joint.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing the grooves 7 are on the outer face of the flanges 4; however, they could be provided on the inner face of the flanges 4, but the Welding would not be so easy and the taking over of the momentum at the corner would cause greater stresses at the Welds. Furthermore, the grooves could be disposed laterally in the side edges of the flanges 4.

The length of the connecting legs is determined according to the stress analysis.

The cross-section of each flange corresponds approximately to the sum of the cross-sections of the connecting legs introduced into its grooves. In the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cross-sectional area of each flange 4 corresponds approximately to twice the cross-sectional area of the legs 10, as two legs 10 are introduced in each flange.

The double-T-sections (posts and girders) are made suitably from an aluminum alloy, preferably by extruding the aluminum alloy of the German standard AlZnMg (containing substantially of from 4 to 5 percent zinc, from .8 to 1. 6 percent Mg, the remainder being aluminum), which is specially suitable for welded constructions.

The corner pieces also are made advantageously from the same alloy for the sake of mechanical strength. They are cut for instance from an extruded section and the superfiuous material is milled away. It is also possible to make these corner pieces by casting.

Structures provided with the corner construction according to the invention are distinguished from structures with known corner constructions by the simplicity of manufacture of their members, by the possibility of delivering these structures to the building site ready for mounting, and by easy assembling. Tests have shown that the construction meets all requirements as to mechanical strength in every respect.

The corner construction according to the invention is suitable especially for the building of dwelling houses and estate housings.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A welded light-metal corner construction, adapted for constructing frame-like structures, comprising two light-metal I-sections, having mitered ends, the flanges of said I-sections having each at least one longitudinal groove, and a connecting piece comprising a rectangular web plate substantially corresponding in width and length to the mitered ends of the sections and including near the front edges of the Web plate and at both sides of the latter connecting legs corresponding to the number, and substantially to the cross-section and to the position of the grooves, forming with the web plate the same angle as the sections and introduced into the grooves and welded to the edges of the latter, the web plate itself being welded to the mitered ends of the sections.

2. A welded light-metal corner construction according to claim 1, the flanges of the I-sect-ions having each two longitudinal grooves.

3. A welded light-metal corner construction according to claim 1, said longitudinal grooves being disposed near the outer faces of the flanges.

4. A welded light-metal corner construction according to claim 1, said grooves being undercut on at least one side.

'5. A welded light-metal corner construction, as claimed in claim 1, the cross-section of each flange corresponding approximately to the cross-section of the sum of the cross-sections of the connecting legs introduced into the flange.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,120,695 12/1914 Davis 287-18936 2,714,944 8/1955 Bongiovanni 287-48936 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,283,356 12/1961 France.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

